We all know that Jesus redeemed us to eternal righteousness. That is huge, and something to be extremely grateful for. But we serve a big God who loves us so much, he was willing to die for us. The redemption doesn’t stop there.

Before going on, let me give some definitions of “redeem.” Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition says:

to buy back

to get back, recover as by paying a fee

to set free by paying a ransom

to fulfill a promise, or pledge

to make amends, or atone for a blunder; to restore oneself to favor by making amends

to make worthwhile; justify

So what has been bought back, or recovered? The Promise (see fourth item on our list). What promise, you ask? Let’s take a look at Genesis 12:2-3:

“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing, and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Notice the word “bless” or “blessed” appears in this verse multiple times. This promise was that God would BLESS Abraham and all his descendants, even those under him as the “father of many nations.” In Scripture, this has been called “the blessing of Abraham.”

But this blessing only comes by faith, which Abraham demonstrated aplenty. Romans 4:16 – 21 explains:

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace: to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all. (As it is written, I HAVE MADE THEE A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, SO SHALL THY SEED BE. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb; He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

But what, you may ask, does this have to do with us, and where does Jesus enter into it? Romans 4:23-25 says:

“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

But also consider Galatians 3:13-14 and 29:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written “CURSED IS EVERYONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

These verses mention blessing and cursing. Dueteronomy 28 explains what emcompasses both. You’ll have to turn to your Bible, as there isn’t enough time, nor room to include that here.

But what Jesus did on the cross brought the Holy Spirit to reside inside us, and enables us to access this BLESSING.

Essentially, our Redeemer made a way for us to receive the same BLESSING our Father bestowed on Adam and Eve before their fall. Glory to God!